The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders' Instagram account posted a reel with the caption, “Confidence takes center stage for Alopecia Awareness.”
In the video, Latimer is seen dabbing away her tears as she prepares to take the field. Her teammates offer love and encouragement, giving final hugs and blowing kisses.
One of her teammates gives her a pep talk heard in a voiceover before the show. “You got this Mani!” she says. “We’re so proud that you’re doing this. You’re representing a lot of little girls out there, and they’re going to be looking at you in awe of your strength. They’re going to feel so beautiful after this because of what you’re doing today.”
Latimer revealed she had alopecia, a health condition marked by hair loss, on the 2024 Netflix docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. She abandoned her wig during Monday night's game for “My Cause, My Boots” night, when dancers raise awareness for causes close to them.
The video received thousands of supportive comments commending her courage and marveling at her beauty. One commenter said, “For a team that very much values a specific look, I find this to be so refreshing, beautiful, and inclusive.” Other fans shared their own struggles with illnesses resulting in hair loss and called Latimer an inspiration.
Fellow Cowboys Cheerleader Charly Barby wrote, “ I will cry every time I watch this [red heart emoji]. Armani, you are truly my idol in every single way. You embody everything a leader should be. You have truly become my best friend and my rock!! I’m so excited that the world gets to see how inspiring and amazing you are!!”
Latimer told Women’s Health that she was diagnosed with alopecia when she was 12. She says being on the team was initially challenging because she had to overcome the idea that she had to be perfect. She didn’t want to just “be the cheerleader who didn’t have hair.”
Eventually, Latimer embraced her situation and found power in being vulnerable about the condition. She said she would rather speak out and raise awareness than allow people to think negatively about themselves.
“I figure that if I can overcome my negative self-talk and self-defeating mindset, I can help change the experience for the next 12-year-old who gets diagnosed," Latimer told the publication. “She can start healing early instead of waiting until she’s 23, like me. There’s so much societal pressure that comes with being a woman — we don’t need more. We can be empowered by so many things, and you don’t need your hair to feel that.”
